Your thoughts about humor in noise. Thumbs up or absolute no-no? Good/bad examples.
I personally have no issues with humor in music in general, but it depends on the quality and the style it is incorporated in recording and performance. Unfortunately most 'humorous' noise stuff I've heard/seen is A) that basic childish 'piss-shit-insult-'em-all-snuff-the-bitch' humor which has been made by too numerous noisecore bands already, or B) "look, i got a bunch of kitchenware and i can make funny noises with them" -stuff.
Yeah, I know some people like their humor juvenile fart gags, some like it intelligent, some like Monty Pythonesque and some like it dark, so it is possibly a matter of personal taste what you find as being 'appropriate' comic noise.
Besides, there is nothing more embarassing than a 'funny music' which doesn't make you laugh.
I can say that humor in noise can be a really good thing like not everything in this genre is ugly, morbid and shit.
Talking about the examples, Breakdancing Ronald Raegan is absolutely great, watching his performances when he is almost always shirtless, with a chain with a dollar sign and Dahmer-like glasses. And when he suddenly starts singing a song is absolutely gold. The second thing here is the albumarts, but the most hillarious thing i came across watching his videos on his youtube channel was the announcement of new album i don't really remember the title but the aesthetics can be compared do dank memes (pictures from shutterstock still with the logo, comic sans font, some gifs and cheesy music)
In conclusion, a big dose of humor and distance and i really really liked it.
Whitehouse.
esp late period
There is a line between humor and being a clown. Good humor comes from someone who is mostly serious. He who does "humor" all the time, 99,9% is a fucking clown, a boring joke. This applies in life generally. In music as well.
Very thin line. Absurdity is usually good a la Emil, Smell and Quimm, Yellow Tears. I often like inside jokes or concepts of humor. It's best when it's taken seriously, and worst when, as stated, it's just clown shit.
I can enjoy some playful or absurd stuff like Fckn' Bstrds live performances or subtle humor like some Whitehouse material. When it's too obvious or forced it usually becomes embarrassing very quickly..
I think Brethren "The Chosen" is pretty hilarious. Having an awarness of the Zionist "Jew World Order" is necessary to get the "humor" in it though.
emil beaulieau springs to mind immediately for me. Top notch noise with good natured and memorable live performances. Yellow Tears fit this category as well.
Edit.. Damn Jim you beat me to it.
You think I photocopy holocaust imagery a dozen times to get the correct saturation levels so you can fucking laugh? omg you fuckin plebs.
Quote from: Theodore on December 03, 2016, 06:34:54 PM
There is a line between humor and being a clown. Good humor comes from someone who is mostly serious. He who does "humor" all the time, 99,9% is a fucking clown, a boring joke. This applies in life generally. In music as well.
Ditto!
Every art style (be it musical or something else) dealing mostly with death, destruction, dark and morbid themes is in danger of turning into parody of itself ('totista torvensoittoa' as we finns say it) if there's not a healthy dose of right humor brought in --- look what happened to goth.
I think there is long cap between someone dedicated his stuff like Crank Sturgeon and someone that just messing around without real idea behind and usually it can be heard too.
There is plenty of fucked up and morbid humourish stuff on my songs.
Some more obvious than others but it is not ever the main thing when i record, it is just part of me so it`s natural that i use it on my works.
Smell & Quim and Cock ESP? I'm too boring to be into humour in Noise. I think I started a thread like this at the old Chronic site, or something. I used to like the idea. Now it just makes me grumpy.
A friend of mine once opined that Whitehouse started as a joke, saw that people liked it and just kept running with it. Seems like as good a theory as any other. Not that jokes are the same thing as humour.
Is a sense of humour all that important?
Its all pretty funny really if you take a step back and think about it.
Quote from: Leewar on December 05, 2016, 09:51:56 AM
Its all pretty funny really if you take a step back and think about it.
Totally. This is something what most people understand. Whatever effort on puts to xeroxing holocaust image grain or spending time with modular synth to get odd electronic signal out, is quite amusing when you simply take one step back and look it from "normal" perspective.
Of course this applies to most things in life.
In new
Fight your own war book there is a piece about (lack of) humor in noise. I've seen some people praise it, but I found it beyond stupid. Endless name dropping of "real artists", who "get it".
For being british writer, I would have assumed the sense of humor is slightly more developed than you'd expect from some other countries where humor equals most of all underlined punchline jokes. Perhaps in modern world one can sense humor only when it is combined with audience laughter or smiley face.
I wonder if dressing up to clown costume is the sign of "good humor"? When he concludes that finally now, in the later days Whitehouse/Consumer Electronics became funny and good, one would ask did he actually listen for example
Great White Death?
I'm coming' up your ass? Whether they are meant to be funny or not, I doubt there's anyone who wouldn't accept they are also rather amusing. But it goes way beyond. If typically british humour would be satire aimed to absurdity of everyday life, which very often involves also sexual taboos, one could probably file vast majority of UK power electronics under it.
When you got the clown suited men doing slapstick noise, it seems to imply generally significant drop on intelligence of humour. Of course exceptions exists.
In this piece, it's not sure whether the piece itself is merely humor, what is meant to "provoke" people who want to take their favorite bands "seriously". I assume so. But it would have been much better if it would be less about writers posturing of knowledge of popular culture and more about knowledge and understanding of quality of humor
within noise.
It's just a very British thing to want to put people in their place. No one rises above their station and the few who do are soon slapped down by their own. Humour and sarcasm is a very important tool in that hierarchy. What may seem funny and humorous on the surface often has a nasty undercurrent which is aimed at destroying the spirit of those who've broken off from the pack.
Not that the above necessarily applies to "humour in noise", it's a reflection on a particularly murky side of the British mind set gleaned from 20 years of living here as a foreign national and one which I suspect the author in question suffers from. As do many others on this island.
That essay was very well written but came off almost exactly as I thought it would: punk/hardcore guy with a toe in noise verbally deconstructs the bits of the genre he thinks are stupid because it's easier than having to accept them for what they are. In any case, it definitely takes the weight out things when you saw the posts on collective zine forum asking for info on certain noise acts that eventually made it into the piece. Whaddya know?
I think people often forget that humour was always a really important part of nearly every movement that came to influence and inspire noise. Maybe you could even say that a more serious tint on things is something comparatively recent when you take into account these wider entry points into something like noise? And yes, there is a level upon which very serious and brooding noise/PE is really funny in its overt seriousness and I'm afraid that is something that is hard to disagree with too. Humour gets looked at exactly like in this thread so often: can work but is usually just a load of idiots seeking low level attention. Maybe this is because it IS a vehicle which just lends itself to gutter, knuckle dragging chuckles...low/zero skill levels in audio production (in the context of music) so why expect the authors to be comedic savants? Really effective absurd/surreal/comedic elements in noise are difficult to find and execute for exactly that reason: it is a real skill that not everyone possesses.
For me, the best examples of these things always lie in noise as incongruous art object (quoting CMS Foundation here I think): x2 lp of people chatting in record stores, edition of 3 lp smashed to bits and repackaged as a cassette, Haters 'wind licked dirt'....all stuff with a real artistic intent but a brilliantly funny and ironic streak running through.
I enjoyed the Spencer Grady chapter simply because it was very well written with a sense of great mischief and malevolent relish. It makes a change from being called a nazi to be called, what was it, undersexed bedwetters. He is way off mark in his conclusions and Kevin Tomkins of all people would seem to be entirely aware of his own absurdity.
As far as humour in noise goes I find some of the more ridiculous shamanic/physical performers like Crank Sturgeon, Arma Agharta, Monopolka/Massive Ejaculation, Filthy Turd and Evil Moisture can be effective. I think also the line between that stuff and more (on first sight) po-faced and serious artists like The Grey Wolves and Genocide Organ is less than it might first seem. As stated above, it's all pretty funny really.
The worst comedy noise act I ever saw was some wacky nonsense called Unicorn Love who purported to be christians. When overt humour in noise is done badly it can be as truly painful as comedy rock.
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on December 06, 2016, 09:15:32 PMIt makes a change from being called a nazi to be called, what was it, undersexed bedwetters.
You're a nazi or you can't get laid or both. As old as each other and makes no change at all. Having a go at Tomkins off the back of that dog eared cliché proves what a clueless tool he is. Not unlikely he's one who projects his own issues at others. I wouldn't give a bedwetter like that the time of day, let alone publish his bollocks. Reason enough to not bother with that book IMO.
These delicate guilt ridden flowers who have to excuse themselves for being into industrial by talking shite about it. If they are so plagued by it, why do they persist in hanging around? Just fuck off and leave the playing field for those of us who are actually into this.
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on December 05, 2016, 11:46:51 AM
Whatever effort on puts to xeroxing holocaust image grain or spending time with modular synth to get odd electronic signal out, is quite amusing when you simply take one step back and look it from "normal" perspective. Of course this applies to most things in life.
QuoteThe life of every individual, viewed as a whole and in general, and when only its most significant features are emphasized, is really a tragedy; but gone through in detail it has the character of a comedy. (Schopenhauer).
Two different perspectives, really. But there is this need for some people to feel "above it all", by imagining themselves to take an "objective" view of things in order to be more "accurate".
I suppose this is the case with these types who are peeking in on the scene and writing about it. They don't want to dirty their pale hands by actually getting involved and going through the hard yards, they'd rather feel they're wiser and better by keeping back and reporting on it, based on their very valuable insights. Seeing things "humorously" is a bit of a current trend, especially on the internet. "OMG LOL!". Everyone, it seems, is sardonically amused by just about everything that is happening. Everyone's Oscar Wilde these days.
Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on December 07, 2016, 01:31:50 AM
I suppose this is the case with these types who are peeking in on the scene and writing about it. They don't want to dirty their pale hands by actually getting involved and going through the hard yards, they'd rather feel they're wiser and better by keeping back and reporting on it, based on their very valuable insights.
In the parlance of Oscar Wilde's days I think such people would be referred to as dilettantes. Today they are called hipsters. Let them yap by all means but for fucks sake call them out on it and laugh them out of town.
Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on December 07, 2016, 01:31:50 AM
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on December 05, 2016, 11:46:51 AM
Whatever effort on puts to xeroxing holocaust image grain or spending time with modular synth to get odd electronic signal out, is quite amusing when you simply take one step back and look it from "normal" perspective. Of course this applies to most things in life.
QuoteThe life of every individual, viewed as a whole and in general, and when only its most significant features are emphasized, is really a tragedy; but gone through in detail it has the character of a comedy. (Schopenhauer).
Two different perspectives, really. But there is this need for some people to feel "above it all", by imagining themselves to take an "objective" view of things in order to be more "accurate".
I suppose this is the case with these types who are peeking in on the scene and writing about it. They don't want to dirty their pale hands by actually getting involved and going through the hard yards, they'd rather feel they're wiser and better by keeping back and reporting on it, based on their very valuable insights. Seeing things "humorously" is a bit of a current trend, especially on the internet. "OMG LOL!". Everyone, it seems, is sardonically amused by just about everything that is happening. Everyone's Oscar Wilde these days.
I have a very palpable disgust for what passes as humor/commentary/intelligence these days, but you hit on a very important element that allows me to be much less laborious and longwinded than I otherwise would have. The fine line between being able to make someone laugh and being able to offend/upset someone lies squarely on the basis of TRUTH. Without the element of truth, everything else falls flat. If I said all women were purple, it would be neither funny, nor offensive, and this is what stands up when I appreciate any element of humor within surrealism, absurdism, dadaism, satire, etc. Anything less is a matter of fart jokes and whoopee cushions (although someone may show their true colors with the right prank applied to them). People who think they're funny usually aren't. People who think they're funny are maybe more pretentious than the "overly serious" people alluded to here earlier.
Quote from: GEWALTMONOPOL on December 07, 2016, 01:50:07 AM
Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on December 07, 2016, 01:31:50 AM
I suppose this is the case with these types who are peeking in on the scene and writing about it. They don't want to dirty their pale hands by actually getting involved and going through the hard yards, they'd rather feel they're wiser and better by keeping back and reporting on it, based on their very valuable insights.
In the parlance of Oscar Wilde's days I think such people would be referred to as dilettantes. Today they are called hipsters. Let them yap by all means but for fucks sake call them out on it and laugh them out of town.
ignoring them works as well, as hipsters need the audience to be hip against or towards.
always like what I liked despite others, not displaying in front of others
Quote from: GEWALTMONOPOL on December 07, 2016, 01:06:18 AM
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on December 06, 2016, 09:15:32 PMIt makes a change from being called a nazi to be called, what was it, undersexed bedwetters.
You're a nazi or you can't get laid or both. As old as each other and makes no change at all. Having a go at Tomkins off the back of that dog eared cliché proves what a clueless tool he is. Not unlikely he's one who projects his own issues at others. I wouldn't give a bedwetter like that the time of day, let alone publish his bollocks. Reason enough to not bother with that book IMO.
These delicate guilt ridden flowers who have to excuse themselves for being into industrial by talking shite about it. If they are so plagued by it, why do they persist in hanging around? Just fuck off and leave the playing field for those of us who are actually into this.
They should leave us in our "safe space?"
'safe space'?
really!
Quote from: david lloyd jones on December 08, 2016, 08:29:12 PM
'safe space'?
really!
Yeah you know, they shouldn't say bad things about the music we like, because that's hurtful. Us white men are oppressed too and we need a safe space where we can make art about rapists and nazism without anyone criticising it?
Quote from: david lloyd jones on December 08, 2016, 08:29:12 PM
'safe space'?
really!
He's a funny guy. He represents humour in noise.
Quote from: GEWALTMONOPOL on December 08, 2016, 10:21:49 PM
Quote from: david lloyd jones on December 08, 2016, 08:29:12 PM
'safe space'?
really!
He's a funny guy. He represents humour in noise.
Well that's a lovely thing to say, but from my perspective you've made the funniest contributions to this thread by a large margin.
...said the troll with 20 troll posts to his name.
Quote from: GEWALTMONOPOL on December 10, 2016, 11:20:36 AM
...said the troll with 20 troll posts to his name.
Thanks for the encouragement, I'll try and up my game.
Hmmm... I'm not sure which character is funnier: A) a clueless outsider hipster trying desperately to "get it" or get in, or B) overjealoys scenester trying fiercely to defend the 'purity' of his scene against outsiders.
Quote from: Marko-V on December 10, 2016, 06:21:32 PM
Hmmm... I'm not sure which character is funnier: A) a clueless outsider hipster trying desperately to "get it" or get in, or B) overjealoys scenester trying fiercely to defend the 'purity' of his scene against outsiders.
surely the funniest is the commentator on both!
baggsy no back answers!
Thou shalt not go any further, otherwise we will be in the middle of planning a sitcom (obviously named 'Haters' as opposed to 'Friends') featuring all those tragicomic characters.
will this sitcom be on uk terrestrial or USA digital/box set/world take over?
Straight to VHS.
Some talk too much, it is the action that matters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk)
Quote from: Vermin Marvin on December 10, 2016, 09:13:41 PM
Some talk too much, it is the action that matters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk)
been there, done that, not as funny as it looks.
Quote from: Vermin Marvin on December 10, 2016, 09:13:41 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lG9gm4a9rk)
It ain't comedy, it's art. Pure and divine.
Talking of VHSes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyDpDz7fLkg&t=131s
Quote from: eraciator on December 08, 2016, 09:53:50 PM
Quote from: david lloyd jones on December 08, 2016, 08:29:12 PM
'safe space'?
really!
Yeah you know, they shouldn't say bad things about the music we like, because that's hurtful. Us white men are oppressed too and we need a safe space where we can make art about rapists and nazism without anyone criticising it?
Troll account, but the U.K. XE secret show attended by three people in a rehearsal room and unadvertised fits
every single fucking criteria for the term safe space. Same as a sex club or dungeon would. Which of course has much more in common with XE than the kind of nationalist political thing that those who would like to ban it mistake it for.
I struggle with some of this terminology, trigger warnings etc but try to understand how times change and how a younger generation think and view things. I can't stand call-out culture at all - an excuse for self-righteous bullying - but understand how 'safe space' could become a synonym for old-fashioned discretion and keeping things quiet from the straight world.
Quote from: HongKongGoolagong on January 03, 2017, 11:38:44 PM
U.K. XE secret show attended by three people in a rehearsal room and unadvertised fits every single fucking criteria for the term safe space. Same as a sex club or dungeon would.
Would it? What are the criteria?
As far as I've understood, what "safe-space" meant, is place where anti-LGBT violence, harassment or hate speech were not allowed, therefore "creating a safe place for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people". Has been extended to refer to a space for individuals who
feel marginalized to come together to communicate regarding their
experiences with marginalization. Which now probably means mostly just
women...
If any meeting of like-minded people, what excludes unwanted people or is private nature, is called "safe-space", term probably loses its entire meaning. I would tend to think, that there is a vast difference of meetings, that is "sexual minority who feels marginalized, talking experience of being marginalized" vs. for example groups of fags meeting in dungeon, to do what they like to do.
Most often, private live show ain't "safe space". There hardly ever are codes and rules what and how one is allowed to talk etc.
Who you can look at, and how long time. Indeed, over here too, in Finland, there are safe-space gigs. Where they endorse such a strict rules on social behavior it becomes absolute humor. Going to level how long you are allowed to
look at females so you don't harass them etc. Or that you need to be sure short or handicapped people see punk gig behind your white fat ass. haha.. Jesus. It appears as humor, but is deadly serious. Of course, one may try to extend "experience of being marginalized" to be about people who listen slightly unpopular music? I'd rather see it simply in old fashioned
guys doing what they like to do. It's nearly opposite of entire safe-space foolishness, isn't it?
I think private live shows, whatever the music style or approach is a great thing. There are way more relevant angles to approach phenomena than via latest twitter buzzwords.
All sorts of abstract arguments to be made as to whether an event like that constitutes a safe space or deeply subterranean private 'concert' but a lads night in with some tinnies seems entirely adequate to me.
No argument from me there. In my experience these so called safe spaces tend to be located amongst people who don't need educating about the principles behind them. More ways for people to feel politically active while never straying from their chosen social and cultural circles.
I should hope, therefore, that 4 people performing racially provocative power electronics to one another in private aren't under similar illusions that what they're doing is something beyond exactly that.
Quote from: ONE on January 15, 2017, 12:16:14 PM
Quote from: david lloyd jones on December 03, 2016, 04:36:06 PM
Whitehouse.
esp late period
Who else comes close?
probably rrron. i've busted a gut to sons of god and koichi makigami too. jaap blonk has chops. basically anyone who makes fart noises with their mouth will get me going because i'm an idiot. saw a crank sturgeon/id m theftable double bill which was very funny.
Been into this noise &c stuff long enough to put it in decades. What you would call a lifer. Sentenced to 50+ years hard noise (give or take). Plenty of excellent recommendations over the years. Never once has anyone said anything like, "You should check this out. It's very funny."
Is there anything intrinsically humorous to this noise stuff? Answer: no. Not anymore than there is in anything else in life.
Life, however. Life is a fucking joke.
There's a few instances of humour is most K. Endo releases, I suppose.
Quote from: Deadpriest on January 31, 2018, 07:01:49 PM
There's a few instances of humour is most K. Endo releases, I suppose.
That may or may not be true. But just remember one thing- your wife is mine.
(https://img.discogs.com/5chdk1UGc6DHY-suKCwkHbUKCTk=/fit-in/600x598/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-454724-1344179449-2726.jpeg.jpg)